


Cigarette Smoke

by kaythepoet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 09:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14210118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaythepoet/pseuds/kaythepoet
Summary: A story being told by Lance. Keith and Lance are kicked out of team Voltron. They both explore the universe together. They explore many new planets and creatures. They even return to Earth, only to be struck with the tragic news of what Earth has become.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve never written a fan-fiction in all of my life. I’m so sorry if the plot is messy or if it makes no sense. I wrote this in one take and I didn’t edit it. My apologies. If any of you guys want to leave constructive criticism in the comments or whatever, feel free. One more thing, the title has little to nothing to do with the story. Sorry?

1

Lotor knew that the team didn't trust him. Well, some of them did but, there were still doubts deep down. He knew Pidge, Hunk, and Lance especially, highly doubted him and were impatiently waiting for the second he double crossed them.

Allura, Shiro, and Keith on the other hand, trusted him. Lotor wasn't sure why but, they did. It isn't Lotor's intention to double cross them. He wants to work with them and help them bring piece to the universe. 

Lotor walked over to the room where the the rest of the Paladins were. They were waiting for Keith's arrival. According to Allura, Keith is bringing a 'special guest.' 

"Hey Lotor!" Allura said, her face immediately brightening as soon as Lotor entered the room. Lotor could sense the tension in the room. It was mostly coming from Lance. He wasn't sure what Lance had against him. Lotor was trying very hard to get along with Lance and the team. 

"Hey princess. You guys are waiting for the red paladin, correct?" Lotor cracked his knuckles waiting for a response.

"Yeah? Why do you care?" A squeaky voice came from the back of the room. It was Pidge.

"Pidge plea-" Allura was cut off. Pidge slammed her hand against the wall. "When are we getting rid of this guy? I'm tired of him! My teammate finally comes home and the first thing he's going to see is Lotor?" Pidge yelled. 

Allura glared at Pidge in anger. "That's not how you talk to the higher class Pidge!" Allura shouted back. The room went silent.

There was a knock on the door. Shiro opened it. 

"Oh hey Keith! Welcome back!" Hunk walked over to Keith and gave him a bear hug. Everyone else stared. No one else was really happy to see Keith. The team was pretty stressed about other things. 

Although, there was a strange woman standing behind Keith who caught Lance's attention.

"Oh! Is that your girlfriend Keith??" Lance smirked. Keith's face flushed. "No! That's my mother!!!" Keith quickly replied. Hunk chuckled. 

Krolia stepped forward. "The name's Krolia. I am Keith's mother. It's nice to meet his former teammates." Krolia said coldly. No one said anything. It was pin-drop silent. 

"Former?" Pidge asked, breaking the silence. "Yes. Former. He's now serving in one of the greatest military ever. The Blade Of Marmora. Where they take kids like Keith in and turn them into fighting machines." Krolia stared at Pidge dead in the eye. 

The air thickened in the room. Everyone was stiff. 

"It's great to have you back." Shiro said.

Everyone else nodded.

"I'll excuse myself." Lotor said. "Me too!" Allura followed. Krolia nodded.

"So, you're all the Paladins of Voltron, huh? You guys don't seem like warriors to me. More like little punks who think they know what they're doing." Krolia said. Keith swallowed the lump in his throat. 

"Excuse my mother. I-" Keith stared at the floor. "Hey Keith. When are you coming back? We miss you." 

Keith was shocked to see who the person asking was. He never thought Lance cared. Keith thought Lance was happy with him leaving the team and all. 

"Never. There's no room for me in Voltron. You have Lotor and Matt who could easily replace me. But, there's exactly five Paladins. There's no need for me." Keith said. Keith's throat began to ache. He was about to cry. Lance stepped up. 

Krolia backed away. 

"Keith. We need you. We aren't team Voltron without you. If Lotor and Matt can easily replace you like you say, then I'm useless. You're stronger and braver than me. I- no we- We need you." Lance smiled at Keith. 

"I don't know about that. You're the teams strongest Paladin. You're funny, and intelligent. I- now I'm rambling." Keith said, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Krolia smiled at seeing her son so flustered. "Keith. We have to leave soon. Say goodbye and get what you need." Krolia said. Face returning serious.

Krolia and the rest of the team walked away, leaving Lance and Keith alone. 

"You're mother's beautiful." Lance said. "In a totally respectable way! I know she's your mother and I'm not-" 

"I know Lance." Keith said.

Keith walked outside of the ship. Lance followed. "So. How's life with the blade?" Lance asked. Keith reached into his pocket. He hesitated. 

"Mm- It's okay I guess. I mean, it's pretty tough. It's always the mission first. So you wittiness all your comrades and friends die and it kinda fucks with your mind. Like, knowing you could've saved them just makes everything worse." Keith said. 

He reached into his other pocket, taking out a lighter. "What's that for?" Lance asked in pure innocence. 

"It's how I cope." Keith answered. Lance didn't understand. "How's Lotor? I heard that you've been giving him a tough time." Keith asked. Lance smiled. "Heh. I just really don't like him. He sounds like bad news to me. There's just something about him that tells me he's not a good guy." Lance said.

Keith frowned. "It's because he's Galra isn't it?" Keith took out a cigarette, lighting it with his lighter. Lance stared in shock. "You smoke?!" Lance asked, almost screaming. "Yeah. So? I'm just speeding up my death." Keith said. 

"Don't do that. That's gross and unhealthy. When did you start?" Lance continued to ask questions. "Why does it matter? You're not going to make me stop. You want one though?" Keith said, pulling out another fresh cigarette.

Lance looked disgusted. "No thanks." Lance frowned. "That's a shame. Does your mother know?" Lance asked. Keith nodded. "She doesn't care. She smokes too. She's the one who buys me the packs anyways." 

"Nothing good comes from smoking. It's just hurting your lungs. You're hurting yourself. Don't do that." Lance was very dissatisfied.

Keith rolled his eyes, placing the cigarette between his lips. 

Krolia walked out of the door. "Let's go Keith! The team is waiting for us." Krolia said, marching out. Keith followed. 

Lance stared. So many questions were going through his mind. Lance felt upset. Like he wanted to throw up. His mother always told Lance to stay away from drugs, alcohol, vaping, and smoking. He was raised that way. 

It broke Lance to see Keith's own mother encourage behavior like that. He felt confused. 

"I'll just take a shower." Lance whispered to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Two Days Later

Lance was training in the training room. He only recently started using his sword so he was very inexperienced. He needed someone who had good experience with swords. He wasn't going to ask Allura because Allura would just tell Lotor to train him and he didn't want that. 

Lance wanted to stay as far away as possible from Lotor. He knew he couldn't be trusted and Lance wasn't about to fall under his spell. He knew that Lotor was a manipulative person.

Although Lance may not seem like one, he was a very clever person. Before Lotor joined the team, he examined Lotor carefully. He was trying to see how he got four young women to listen to him. Was it the power imbalance? No. The four girls who worked with Lotor were very powerful and smart women. 

Lotor used his charisma to manipulate the masses. That included his own teammates. Lotor was just as clever as Lance. There was no winning. 

Lance knew that Pidge didn't trust Lotor at all. Pidge was the only person he could go and rant to about Lotor. Hunk didn't trust Lotor either but, Hunk being the kind soul that he was, he had more sympathy for Lotor. 

Hunk acknowledged that Lotor comes from a very broken family. A family who wasn't there to love or care for him. If anything, Hunk believed that Lotor raised himself to be the strong person he is today. 

Lance doesn't like that about Hunk. Lance loves Hunk with all his being but, he feels Hunk has to much sympathy for the wrong people. 

When Keith came out as Galra, everyone was afraid and untrusting. They all watched their backs. Hunk didn't though. Why? Because Hunk has a heart of gold and he knew Keith wouldn't try to hurt him. 

That's why Lance can't trust Hunk too much. 

"Lance, are you okay?" Pidge asked. Pidge had been on her laptop while she waited for Lance to finish training. Pidge noticed that Lance had gone blank and stopped training for a while now. Lance chuckled.

"I'm okay. There are just a lot of things clouding my mind. I'm going to rest." Lance said, withdrawing his sword. "Like sleep?" Pidge asked. Lance nodded. Pidge sighed. 

"Lance. You should find someone to train you." Pidge continued to click the keyboard of her laptop. Lance stared at Pidge. "I know but... who? I can't trust Allura or Lotor anymore." Lance responded.

"How about our team's most experienced swordsman?" Pidge suggested. Lance stared blankly at her. "I already told you that Lotor is to not be trusted." Lance replied. 

"Not him idiot. I'm talking about Keith. Our Keith. Krolia's son?" Pidge continued to type on her computer. "Oh...! But... how? Keith has to serve the Blade of Marmora. He can't train me and serve at the same time." Lance said. 

Pidge didn't reply. The room was silent. All you could here was the clicks from the keyboard. 

Lance bit his lip, anxious for Pidge's answer. 

"If you're waiting for an answer, you're not getting one. You'll have to figure that out on your own. I'll tell you this though. Don't stretch yourself too thin Lance. It's okay to use a gun. There's no need for swords or knives. Everyone on the team owns one weapon. Not five." Pidge replied coldly.

Lance frowned. "I just thought maybe I could be of better use to the team if I learned how to fight in close-combat and long-rage combat. I don't know. My mind is clouded." Lance's heart ached.

There was truly no one on the team who would actually understand how Lance felt. Everyone felt so secure about their position. No one was going through what Lance was going through. He has his doubts here and there but, they only clouded his mind if he was left alone to think for too long.

Pidge ignored Lance. Pidge was always a very selfish person. She tried not to be but, it was implanted into her head to be selfish. Being bullied doesn't stick too well with you. 

"Do you ever care?" Lance asked. He didn't want to argue with Pidge but, it was pissing him off that Pidge was completely ignoring him like as if he were invisible.

Pidge didn't respond. She got up with her laptop and walked out of the training room. Lance sighed. He was covered in sweat and a few blood stains from tiny cuts. He wanted to shower but, Lance felt more like just laying and bed and letting his mind take over. 

He walked out of the training room just to see Lotor waiting for him outside. Lance groaned. "What do you want?" Lance mumbled. 

"Lance. Blue Paladin. I wanted to ask you a question if you don't mind." Lotor said, smiling warmly. Lance's face scrunched up in disgust. "How about no? I have to get going." Lance tried to push through Lotor but, Lotor being stronger and taller than Lance, didn't let him. 

"It'll be quick." Lotor said. Lance stood still. "Fine. What do you want?" Lance rolled his eyes. "Are you jealous because Allura and I get along?" Lotor asked. 

Lance's face turned bright red. "As if! I don't care if you kiss her. I don't care if she's your girlfriend. As long as she's happy, I'm happy." Lance replied. Lotor closed his eyes and nodded. Lance took this opportunity to walk past him and it worked.

He saw that Allura was outside the door too. "Lance..." Allura whispered. "Excuse me. I have to get going." Lance said, pushing Allura aside. 

He did feel jealous. He felt jealous that Allura had only known Lotor for around a month and she was already in love with him and that he has known Allura for a year and a half. He felt jealous that he tried so hard to be likable but, no one liked him. Not as a boyfriend. Not as a friend. He was the extra piece of the puzzle. 

As Lance walked to his room to wipe off the sweat, he smelled a horrible stench. A stench he's smelt before. It was cigarette smoke.

He scrunched his nose up in disgust. "Where's that smell coming from?" Lance asked himself. He walked through the hallways of the castle, following the stench. The smell was coming from Keith's old room. He knocked to see if anyone was in there. 

A quiet, "Who is it?" came from behind the door. "Lance." He replied, not able to recognize the voice.

The door opened up. A familiar face popped up. Keith.

"Woah?! I thought you were out fighting with the blade? What happened?" Lance asked. Keith removed the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out the smoke. Lance tried not to throw up, but he did hold in his breath until the smoke faded away.

"My mother told me that I had to stay here. It was important for my mental health. So she's covering up for me." Keith said. Lance stared at Keith. "Why are you smoking inside? Smoke outside." Lance said, pinching his nose. 

Keith frowned. "Why do you care so much? It's my lungs." Keith said. "That's why I'm telling you to smoke outside. It reeks in here and I'm not trying to get lung cancer just because you do." Lance continued to pinch his nose.

Keith parted his lips and placed the cigarette between his lips, inhaling all the smoke. Lance watched as he wasn't fazed at all by inhaling toxic smoke. Lance couldn't stand it anymore. It was disgusting and it hurt to see Keith do this because as much as he disliked Keith, he didn't want Keith to suffer a slow and painful death. Lance snatched the cigarette from Keith's hand and threw it on the ground. Keith was pissed.

"Yo?! What's your issue? Why won't you just leave me alone?" Keith yelled. Keith resisted the urge to punch Lance for throwing away his cigarette. He wasn't even done smoking it. Lance covered up his nose with his jacket. "Que asqueroso!" Lance shouted in Spanish. Keith stared at him, anger boiling in his eyes. Lance walked away from Keith.

Keith had so many things going through his mind. He was angry and upset. He felt frustrated. Why didn't Lance understand that, that was his way of coping? He saw his comrades and friends die! What else is he supposed to do? Why couldn't Lance understand that smoking isn't as bad as it seems? Especially smoking weed.

Keith took out another cigarette and lit it. Keith left his room to get some fresh air. No one had noticed that Keith had been here for a while now. No one cared. It came as a shock to him to see that Shiro didn't care. Shiro was such a loving and caring person. That's not how he would normally react to his arrival. Something about him felt different. Like, maybe he wasn't himself? He was very hostile, uncaring, and not to mention, rude. Keith had thought of talking to him but, he knew he would only get scolded by Shiro if he saw him smoking. If that was even real Shiro.

The outside was beautiful. It was pretty dark. The stars were shining brighter than usual and the smell of roses filled his being. Keith felt alone. Shiro had Allura, Lotor and Coran. Hunk, Pidge, and Matt are now best friends. Lance... well you see Lance... he was also alone. That's probably why he chose to talk to Keith instead of the others. He felt alone. Isolated. Just like Keith. 

"Damn, I wish these cigarettes could kill me faster." Keith said, continuing to stare and the beautiful stars that filled the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

3

The Next Morning

Lance woke up from a very uncomfortable "nap." It wasn't really a nap though because he had slept all night. He fell asleep next to the healing pods. Chips everywhere and soda spilt on the shiny floor. There was a notebook and a red pen next to the bag of chips. Lance leaned over to read it. 

The note read:  
I don't know how to tell you Keith but, if anything bad ever happened, the team would fall into complete despair. Or... at least, I would. All this time that I've been in space, it feels as if I've spent the least time with you. I didn't know you started smoking and it pisses me off that your mom doesn't care. Instead, she encourages it just because it helps her "cope." That's so unfair. I would like to h

Lance hadn't finished it. He scratched his head in confusing not being able to recall writing the note. Maybe he was high off his own exhaustion. He did sleep pretty late. Doing what? Writing. Why? Lance doesn't know.

What was the point of the note? Why couldn't he just tell Keith face to face? It was all confusing and he didn't want to get rid of the note so he just folded it into a small square and shoved it in his jacket pocket. Lance didn't feel like cleaning up the mess he had left. The chips were covered in dry sticky soda and it seemed like too much work to clean up.

"Need help?" A voice said behind him. He was expecting Hunk and his face lit up but, then he was disappointed seeing Lotor. "No." Lance replied sharply. Lotor was only trying to get along. He didn't know what he was doing wrong? He did feel as if it has to do with him hanging out with Allura. Maybe he should stop. But... that would mean that he's ending someone's happiness and his own happiness just to make someone else happy. Lotor wasn't selfish but, it felt wrong to just leave Allura like that. She would feel betrayed. There wouldn't be any other way to avoid her except leaving Voltron. That's not what he wanted to do though. He wanted to help.

Lance stared at Lotor. "Thinking about how you're going to strangle me to death?" Lance asked. Lotor quickly shook his head. "No. I'm not. Pardon me, I'm just going to clean up the mess you left. Run along now." Lotor said, mop in hand and a broom on the other. Lance's eyebrow rose. "Knock yourself out, buddy." Lance walked out of the room, arms crossed.

He noticed that the team was awfully quiet nowadays. It used to be so loud with everyone talking, running around, screaming, and laughing. Now it's just dead silent. Shiro spends most of his time working out. Pidge spends her time on her computer doing who knows what. Matt and Hunk help adjust things in the castle. Allura and Lotor are always talking outside the castle. Coran is always cleaning. And Keith was never around. There wasn't anyone Keith could talk to anymore. 

Lance spent most of his time, locked in his room, playing video games or sleeping. The only times he really left his room was to use the bathroom, eat something, or go out and fight. Lance walked over to the kitchen, not even even brushing his hair or teeth. He felt too tired to do that. 

"Hey Lance." Keith said, behind him. "Hey..." Lance replied quietly. "Have you noticed how quite the team has gotten ever since I left? Do you know what's going on?" Keith poured cereal into his bowl. The only milk they had was the one from Kalternecker.

"Yeah. It feels depressing. Everyone is so quiet and no one jokes around anymore." Lance replied. Lance didn't want to eat. He wasn't hungry but, he poured cereal into his bowl too. "Damn. It must suck here." Keith said. Lance frowned. "I don't think any of them want me on team Voltron anymore." Lance gripped his fork tightly. Keith noticed. "Why do you say that?" Keith asked. Lance bit his lip, choking back his tears. "It's almost like I'm invisible to them. They don't acknowledge my existence." Lance said, poking his cereal. 

Keith's eyebrows furrowed. "That's not true. I'm sure they're all stressed out. Fighting an intergalactic war isn't the easiest thing to do, to say the best." Keith poured milk into his bowl of cereal. He opened a cabinet. "Why are you using a fork to eat cereal." Keith chuckled. "I can't think straight." Lance said, smiling slightly. "I can't think straight either but, it's for a completely different reason than what you think." Keith handed a spoon over to Lance.

"Thanks man." Lance said. Keith nodded his head. 

Shiro walked into the room. He wasn't happy. "Lance, Keith, I have something to tell both of you. But, you must come to the living room." Shiro exited the kitchen. Lance and Keith looked at each other in confusion. They both walked out of the kitchen, entering the living room. 

Allura, and the rest of the team, excluding Shiro, looked sad. "Lance... Keith... but, this is mostly directed at Lance. You two are amazing people. You're strong, intelligent, and funny. You both work great individually. I feel as if though... it's best you two leave. I know Keith already has a place he could be. But... Lance... I don't know about you. Lotor is going to pilot the red lion now. I'm sorry." Allura said, with the most sympathetic face.

Lance's heart sank. No. It shattered. He tried hard to choke back his tears. He's nails, biting into his palms. He bit his lip so hard to the point he started bleeding. He couldn't hold in the hurt. He was too weak. 

Keith on the other hand was angry. No, he wasn't angry because they kicked him off. Keith already separated himself from Voltron. He didn't care. He was angry because they made Lance feel like shit. Keith wasn't really the one to care too much about people's feelings since no one was ever there to care about how he felt but, this felt different. 

Lance had opened up to him before about feeling he wasn't necessary to team Voltron. Keith knew that Lance was insecure about his position in the team. The fact that they only made him feel worse by kicking him out, knowing he has no where to go, is what made Keith's blood boil. Keith wanted to say something but, he felt he would only made the situation for Lance worse. He stayed silent. 

"Let's go." Keith mumbled, grabbing Lance's arm. The team watched as their former teammates left the castle. Lance calmed down. "Keith, I need to get my stuff first." Lance said. Keith stared at him. "Oh. Okay." Keith replied. Both boys walked through the team, into Lance's room.

The room was dark and it smelled horrible. Lance turned on the light switch. "You don't have to take everything. I'm sure you're not going to carry four bags worth of clothes around." Keith stated. Lance nodded. 

Lance opened a drawer. There was a photo album there. Lance happened to be carrying it in his pocket when they left Earth. "What's that?" Keith asked. Lance's face lit up in hearing this question. "It's a photo album of my family." Lance responded. Keith was intrigued. "Can I see?" Keith asked. Lance, without hesitation, opened the book. 

The first photo was a picture of a women, a man, and a little kid who resembled Lance. "Who are they?" Keith asked. "The woman, is my older sister, the man is my brother-in-law and the little boy, is me!" Lance answered. Lance's sister was dressed in military attire. Not the type we wore at the Garrison. Like, an actual military.

"She's in the military?" Keith asked. Lance nodded. "My mother took this picture when my sister was leaving to join the military. Her boyfriend was there and I got along pretty well with him so, he took a picture with us." Lance responded, a huge smile spreading across his face. Keith smiled at seeing Lance happy. "That's amazing! I was originally going to join the military but, I decided to join the Garrison and become a space explorer instead." Keith rambled.

Lance showed Keith the rest of the pictures in the album and they talked for about half an hour. "Oh crap! I forgot the real reason we were here! We have to leave!" Lance shouted. They had already packed all the stuff Lance needed. It was just some spare clothe, the picture album, a necklace, and a little piece of paper. Keith wanted to know what was written on that paper that was so important to him but, he didn't want to invade his privacy. 

"Aren't you going to take any of your stuff?" Lance asked. "I already have everything I need. I have my jacket and my knife." Keith answered. Lance didn't question Keith any further. The two boys left the castle. Who knew what would happen next.


	4. Chapter 4

4

One Night Later

Lance and Keith had both left the castle a day ago. They both ended up on some other planet. They slept in a cave they found. It was a very cold planet and it was precipitating what Lance believed was snow. It reminded him of Earth. They hadn't eating anything since yesterday morning. They weren't hungry anyways. 

"Lance, I forgot to tell you this yesterday but, I'm sorry that you were kicked out. You didn't deserve that. I deserved it. You were such an essential part of Voltron and they're just going to throw you out like that? I call bullshit." Keith mumbled. Lance heard him clearly. "It's okay." Lance said. 

It was silent. All you can hear was the strong wind outside and the sound of the fire crackling. Keith took out a cigarette and lit it. He placed the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled. Lance's face saddened. 

"When are you going to stop?" Lance asked, upset. Keith blew the smoke out. "Why should I?" Keith asked. Lance sighed. "Keith, it's not healthy. Could you at least attempt to stop?" Lance pleaded. Keith rolled his eyes. "I can't. It's an addiction. The only way I'll stop is when it finally kills me." Keith answered. Lance rubbed his hands together and placed them near the fire to warm them up.

"Can't you find healthier addiction? A video game addiction? I don't know." Lance suggested. "Lance. Do you ever just feel like your feelings are so locked up, you can't find the key so, you'll do anything to get rid of that horrible feelings." Keith said. Lance was confused. What does that have to do with what Lance had just said. 

Keith threw his cigarette on the ground. He walked near the exit of the cave, but didn't fully leave knowing there was a blizzard outside. Lance followed. Keith stared at the stars. They were just as bright as the day he had stepped outside the castle. Lance stared at Keith. Lance noticed the sparkle in Keith's eyes as he stared at the million of gas balls in space. 

A small smile formed on Keith's face. The wind softly blew against Keith's raven hair. The stars highlighted Keith's soft pale face. This was the most beautiful Keith has ever looked. It made Lance's face heat up. He quickly looked at the ground, realizing he was blushing. Lance and Keith weren't too close but, they weren't complete strangers either. 

Lance had internalized feelings that he kept secret from even himself. Things he didn't want to think about. Things he knew would only make his mind even more clouded. Things he knew would make even more people hate him. Lance thought a lot of bad things during the night time until he was able to fall asleep. Lance wasn't always the happy-go-lucky guy he played out to be. Especially not after Keith left the team. 

Lance stared playing video games more often until it became an addiction. His eyesight was destroyed by the bright screen slowly eating away his vision. Lance would fall asleep with huge migraines after playing video games all night and his thoughts didn't make the headache any better. It was almost like Keith was Lance's stability. Keith though otherwise though. Keith thought of Lance as his stability. Apart from Shiro, Lance was the only person who could stop Keith from reacting on his impulses. 

They both sat down on the cold ground. Keith continued to stare at the stars and Lance stared at the snow. They're minds were filled with thoughts. Keith was well aware that Lance had been staring at him. "Lance... can I ask you something?" Keith asked, looking down at his shoes. Lance nodded. 

"Do you still like Allura? Regardless of the fact that she's in love with Lotor?" Keith asked. Lance blushed. He wasn't sure why Keith asked him this or why he even cared but, Lance answered anyways. "Yes, I do." 

Keith swallowed. "Why?" 

Lance inhaled sharply. "I don't know. She's just so beautiful and I can't get over her. I don't care if Lotor and Allura were made for each other. That doesn't stop me from continuing to fall deeply in love with her with each day. I'll stop loving her the day all the stars die." Lance whispered. Keith closed his eyes. "Wow. You really do like her. Why though? She's hurt you so many times." Keith said, opening his eyes again. 

"Again, I'm not sure. The only way I'll fall out of love with her is if someone better than her appears. If that someone is as stunning, strong, independent, smart, funny, and as perfect as her." Lance said. "Why do you fall in love with girls so easily?" Keith asked. Lance shrugged. "Why don't you fall in love easily?" Lance returned the question back to Keith. 

"You're right. I don't. It's not really because I don't want to but, more because I can't. Sure, I've had my crushes here and there but, I never fall in love with them. I never feel love towards them. I never feel like, I could take a bullet for them. I don't feel that connection." Keith answered. Lance nodded. "I did mean this one person though who has me head over heals. I could take not one bullet for them but, a stab in the heart and three million bullets to make sure they're okay." Keith smiled and turned to Lance. Lance looked at Keith in shock.

"And who's this special someone?" Lance asked, smirking. "The details aren't important. Just know that, they mean so much to me. I don't even know why I've fallen so hard for this person. They're just so... perfect." Keith smiled at the ground now. "Is it Shiro?" Lance asked. "What?! No?! He's literally seven years older than me as he's like a brother to me! I could never-" Keith nearly shouted. "Well, how am I supposed to know? The only person who means anything to you is Shiro!" Lance yelled. 

Keith sighed. "It's not your fault. I get that a lot. I actually don't like him like that. Especially not after he kicked us out." Keith said, sniffling. Lance smiled at the stars. "Keith. I know I'm probably the least of your cares but, are you willing to stop smoking if I tell you to? Like, would you stop smoking for me? It really hurts to see you do this to yourself." Keith didn't respond. He inhaled deeply then led out a big exhale. 

There were several feelings that Keith felt. He didn't know how to explain it. He didn't know how to express his emotions to anyone. Not even to Shiro. Keith wasn't always the one to fall in love in love at all. Keith always felt like he wasn't capable of handling an emotion as strong as love. Or at least romantic love. Love made Keith feel vulnerable. It made him feel like he wasn't the strong, independent, emotionless guys he came out to be. He tried to maintain a emotionless character so people wouldn't poke at his weaknesses. 

Keith knew exactly who poked directly at his weak points. He knew who made him feel so vulnerable. He knew who made him feel  all soft. It was the one and only, Lance McClain. 

Now, Keith didn't find out about this recently. He actually knew way before. 

-

At the Garrison, Keith had met Lance. They met during lunch. Keith happen to know on the girls that Lance and Hunk were talking to so, he walked over to her. 

"Hey Jennifer! So, I know that we're supposed to be working on that project but-" Lance cut Keith off. "Excuse me. Could you find your own time to talk to her? I don't appreciate you coming here and getting into our personal business." Lance said, rolling his eyes. Keith was shocked with the rude response. "Um, first off, I need to get my project done and I have to fucking talk to her and second off, I'm not stealing your girlfriend calm down." Keith shouted. "Oh! You wanna go buddy?! I'm not afraid of you!" Lance spat back. 

They both started fighting in the middle of the cafeteria until one of the staff broke them apart.

-

Okay, maybe they hadn't met on the happiest note. They didn't get along at the Garrison. They never got along until they both were stuck defending the universe. At first, Lance was very rude and hostile at Keith but after time, Lance began to soften up. Lance and Keith had their good moments. One of the most memorable moment for Keith was their 'bonding moment.' Of course, Lance happen to not remember that time. Well, at least that's what Keith believed. 

As Keith and Lance began to slowly turn from rivals to friends, Keith fell more in love with him. He really got to know the soft side of Lance. Keith believed that he knew Lance more than anyone. 

Lance on the other hand, didn't even realize any of Keith's feelings towards him. Lance always saw Keith as his rival. It was a one sided rivalry. Lance wasn't romantically interested in anyone except for Allura. Although lately, Lance has been feeling confused.

Confused about what? About his love interests. Lance always saw himself as a lady magnet. (Even though he wasn't. More like a lady repel.) He never saw himself with another dude. He's never thought of it until recently. His mind has been clouded with insecurities and confusing thoughts like if he'd ever sleep with a guy or what it would be like to kiss one. Of course, the first guy that came to mind was Keith. Lance didn't want to be gay. Lance wasn't. He knew he still loved women but, men was also a thought that popped up in his head once in a while.

One night, Lance had searched of the term for sexual and romantic attraction towards men and women. Bisexual lit up his screen. 

Since that night, Lance had shoved the term to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to be called a faggot. He just wanted to be normal. He was a man so he had to like women. Liking another man was a disgrace and it was gross and wrong. He didn't want to be a fag. Lance had internalized his biphobia and homophobia for so long that even seeing a man and another man made him sick to his stomach. 

Not this time though. When Lance had thought about Keith and Shiro being a possible couple, he wasn't grossed out. Maybe he was coming to terms with his sexuality? He didn't even know himself. 

"Lance. I think we should try finding a new planet to reside in. It's too cold here and I'm freezing to death." Keith said, shivering. Lance's first reaction was to take off his jacket and place it on Keith. Keith blushed. He tried to play it cool by teasing Lance.

 

"Aw, you like me!!" Keith said, blushing even more at the thought of Lance actually crushing on him. This made Lance embarrassed and his eyes widened, pink flushing his cheeks. "What no?! Do you think I'd just let you freeze to death?" Lance exclaimed. 

Keith and Lance talked about random little things for the rest of the night.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Two Days Later

Keith and Lance had already found another planet to stay on while they planned a way to get back to Earth. It was a much warmer planet. Not to mention that this time, there were actual beings living on this planet. When they landed their pod on the planet, a chick who happen to be a resident of this planet found them and gave them a place to stay while they planned out their arrival to Earth.

To Keith's surprise, Lance wasn't going head over heals over her. 

"So, you two come from Earth?" the strange alien lady asked. She had told Keith and Lance earlier that her name was Rosehfrin. "Yeah." Keith said bluntly. Lance nodded. Rosehfrin smiled. "I have good news for you two. You guys happen to be on Mars. A planet that neighbors Earth. It would take approximately 300  Earth days to get to Earth. Almost an Earth year. But, surprisingly with your advanced Altean technology, you'll only be waiting about a day to get there." Rosehfrin took a sip of her, what Lance believed was, tea. 

"What? How can you easily recognize Altean tech like that?" Keith asked, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket. Rosehfrin grinned. "I'm glad you asked! My mother happens to be Altean and my father is Martian." Rosehfrin responded. Lance's eyes widened. "Woah?! That's amazing! So you're a hybrid? My pal Keith here happens to be a hybrid too!" Lance said, smiling proudly. Keith's heart sank, dropping his cigarette. Did Lance not know how the universe reacted to Galras? 

"What type of hybrid are you?" Rosehfrin asked. Keith swallowed, trying to think of a hybrid. He obviously had human features so, there would be no denying that he was human but, he could not tell this girl that he was half Galra. It's suicide. Rosehfrin was half Altean, half Martian. The Altean part of her knew that Galra were evil and not to be trusted. But, before Keith could think of anything, Lance just had to open his mouth. 

"He's half Human, half Galra." Lance stated, smiling. Rosehfrin's face turned from happy to completely mortified. Keith would be too if he knew he was interacting with someone who wiped out most of his race for fun. She quickly stood up, taking out a Rapier and pointed it right at Keith's throat. "Make any sudden moves and I'll make sure this sword penetrates right through your delicate human throat." Rosehfrin threatened. Keith's eyes widened in fear. Lance saw the fear in Keith's eyes. He needed to react quickly. 

Lance grabbed Keith's arm and threw him on the ground while rapidly kicking Rosehfrin's sword out of her hand. The sword landed on the metal floor with a loud clatter. Rosehfrin stared at her fallen sword in shock. Lance quickly ran to pick up the sword but before he could even lay a finger on the weapon, Rosehfrin pointed a strange alien gun at him. Lance swallowed hard, biting his lip. The Martian kicked Lance to the ground, still pointing her gun at him. 

Keith didn't have any strength in him to get up. Although Lance probably didn't mean to, when Lance threw Keith to the floor, Rosehfrin's sword deeply scraped his throat. Not only that but, he landed pretty hard the metal surface causing his whole body to ache. They were toast. 

"Lance, that is your name right? I wont hurt you because I know that you are in no way, a threat to me, my people, or my planet. You're human. You're... weak. But, your friend Keith on the other hand, he's Galra. He can kill us both." Rosehfrin said, her angry face turning soft as she noticed Lance's scared face. "That's not true! Keith would never hurt an innocent being! Sure, he's Galra but, he's not evil! Ever heard of the Blade of Marmora?!" Lance yelled in Keith's defense. Rosehfrin wasn't buying it. 

"Why are you even defending him? The Galra killed my mother when she was on a mission for this solar system. Galras have no mercy. Not even for their own kind. Why are you so confident that he won't harm you? In a moment of impulse, he could easily go 'victory or death' and kill everyone who stand in the way of his victory. Trust me. I've seen it with my own two eyes. I've witness 'good Galras' go crazy and go on a killing spree." Rosehfrin said, coldly. 

Lance wasn't sure what to do anymore. One of his closest comrades, not to mention friend, was bleeding to death right in front of him. This girl would not be moved emotionally or physically by anything or anyone. Lance for sure hated himself right now. It was his fault that this chick was about to kill him and Keith.

"Not all Galras are the same!" Lance shouted, getting up and knocking Rosehfrin down by kicking her leg. She fell to the ground, gun falling out of her hand because of the impact. Lance grabbed the gun quickly and aimed it at her head. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to-" Lance slammed the gun against Rosehfrin's head, knocking her out completely. 

Lance hyperventilated trying to catch his breath. "Lance, you're a real dumbass." Keith said, smiling slightly. Lance crouched down next to Keith. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry I got you into this mess. I should have kept my mouth closed." Lance said, helping Keith up. "I mean, it is your fault but, it's whatever. If someone sees her unconscious, they're going to know it was us." Keith said. Lance held Keith up. "Okay then... what do you suggest we do, smarty pants?" Lance asked.

"We hide her. It's not like she's dead or anything so we don't have to hide her good." Keith suggested. Lance nodded. 

Both boys hid the unconscious women's body behind a shack. 

They both walked back to their original place. 

"Ugh. Now how are we going to get back to Earth?" Lance groaned. "The same way we arrived here." Keith replied. "You kept here Rapier?" Lance asked. Keith nodded. "Hey! You haven't smoked all day! I'm proud of you!" Lance congratulated Keith. "Wow, thanks for reminding me." Keith responded. He took out a fresh cigarette and lit it with his lighter. This made Lance immediately frown. "Why don't you just listen Keith? Just throw the whole box away." Lance glared at the cigarette that slightly parted Keith's pink soft looking lips.

Lance had never noticed how soft Keith's lips looked. They weren't chapped or bleeding. They were full and almost made a cute pink heart. Keith's eyes were also beautiful. They were the color or shimmering amethysts. Lance shook his head to get rid of the weird thoughts. 

"Why don't you try one?" Keith asked, pulling out a fresh cigarette from his pack. Lance shook his head. "I don't smoke and I don't want to." Lance said. Keith shrugged his shoulder and continued to do his business. 

Later That Day

Keith and Lance both fixed the pod on their own. They were prepared to head back to Earth. They were both happy but, Lance was more excited and energetic to get to see his family again. He kept rambling to Keith about how sweet but strict his mother was and how his younger sibling were little devils. He even mentioned his sister, Veronica, who happened to be the woman in the photo that he showed Keith back at the castle. 

He told Keith stories on how his sister Veronica always tried to hook him up with girls and how Lance tried to fight Veronica's boyfriend because he was jealous that he was getting all the attention. Keith listened closely to everything Lance said. He watched the way Lance smiled so brightly talking about his family and how he would be so animated while explaining events and scenarios with them. 

Keith loved Lance to pieces. He loved how happy Lance's family made Lance. Keith's heart fluttered anytime Lance turned around and smiled at him or when they made direct eye contact. Keith admired this boy so much. He wasn't sure what it was about Lance that make him feel so weak. So weak that if Lance merely breathed in his area, Keith's heart would start beating three million miles per hour. 

After hours of talking in the pod, they were so close to Earth that they could see Earth's beautiful blue oceans and the beautiful white rock that orbited Earth. Lance's smile spread from ear to ear. 

"Veronica is probably back from the military! I'll finally be able to see her! And my big brother, Jose, he's probably back from college!" Lance shouted in excitement. Keith smiled at seeing Lance so happy. Keith on the other hand, was upset. There were several reasons why he was upset. One of the main reasons being that he had no where to go when he arrived on Earth because he didn't have family. Shiro kicked him out of the team, his mother didn't even know where Keith was and nor did she care, and his father... Keith didn't know if his father was even alive.

Keith wanted so badly to ask Lance if he could stay with him while he tried to find a job and rent his own place. He couldn't though. He was afraid of rejection. Well, it wasn't even like he was confessing his feelings. So, why was he so anxious to ask him? Keith couldn't explain what he was feeling and why. All he knew is that he so badly wanted Lance to ask him to stay with him.

"Hey Lance. I'm really happy that you're excited to go and see your family but, I honestly think it's a bad idea to go Earth." Keith said. Lance's smile immediately turning into a frown. "Wha-?? Why?" Lance asked. "You already know that I don't have any family on Earth. Where am I supposed to stay in the mean time?" Keith bit his lip, hoping Lance would catch on. Lance looked at him blankly. "You could find a job and rent an apartment?" Lance replied. 

Keith internally screamed. That is NOT the answer he wanted to hear. "Um... How about I stay at... your place?" Keith asked, a nervous smile spreading on his face. "Sure. But, I'll have to warn you about a few things. Are you ready?" Lance grinned. Keith nodded. 

 

"Okay, first off, I have eight siblings. I have five younger siblings, three sisters, two brothers. I also have three older sibling, two brothers, one sister. My mother is really strict. My father is more chill but, still strict. My nieces and nephews are cute but, they're little devils. My cousins are sooooooo annoying- Oh my gosh. So, sorry if you're attacked by any of them." Lance rambled.

Keith's body was showered with relief. He was happy that Lance was okay with him staying over. They both smiled at each other deeply.


	6. Chapter 6

6  
One Day Later   
Arrival At Earth

Lance and Keith had finally made it into Earth's atmosphere. It had been a full 48 hours of flying through space to arrive on Earth. Keith guessed that Rosehfrin's calculations were wrong. Lance was currently fixing his hair while Keith was eating a sandwich.

"You look fine man. Plus, it's your family! You've been out in space for nearly a year and a half! Do you really think they care about how you look?!" Keith shouted. Lance stopped combing his hair, giving Keith a death glare. "No. My mother always said that no matter what the situation was, you always had to look presentable." Lance said. 

Keith took another bite of his sandwich. Lance combed his hair for one last time till he smiled at the mirror. "Aren't you going to brush your hair?" Lance asked. Keith swallowed the piece of bread in his mouth. "Why? I don't even know your family. They'll probably be happy to see you than to see some strange 'emo' kid with their son." Keith responded.

Lance rolled his eyes. He didn't even hesitate before walking over to Keith and shoving the comb into his hair. Lance tried to slide the comb down through Keith's hair but it was impossible. "Ow! Dude, stop!" Keith yelled. Lance bit his lip, forcing the brush through his hair. It would not budge. "Do you ever brush your-" the comb shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, "hair?..."  Lance mumbled.

Keith's eyes widened. He was shook. "Did the comb just break because of my hair?" Keith asked, panicking. "This is why I always wash my hair and make sure I use a lot of conditioner. I always add different untangling and moisturizing products to make sure my hair is in its best shape. This. This is a disgrace." Lance said, picking up the pieces of the broken comb.

Keith sucked his teeth. "Piss off. How do you expect me to have good hair with the products that we used in space?" Keith remarked. "I don't know. Ask Allura." Lance replied. Keith ignored him.

Keith looked outside of the window then to the computer screen. "Arrival in five minutes exactly." Keith said. Lance's face lit up. "Oh my gosh! I'll finally be able to see my family and my friends at the Garrison! It's going to be so much fun!" Lance squealed. Keith chuckled. He chucked at the word 'friends.' Why? Because it meant that Lance wouldn't care about Keith anymore. A frown emerged on Keith's face. 

Five minutes passed real quick. Keith and Lance, especially Lance, didn't even bother looking out the window or anything before he was kicking the pod's door open and running outside. Keith followed.

They were expecting Earth. You know. Beautiful blue skies. Buildings, houses, and people everywhere. The sound of birds chirping and beautiful flowers and plants. That's what they were expecting. But, that wasn't the reality. That wasn't their reality. 

Earth. This wasn't Earth. Lance couldn't believe it. They both couldn't believe it. 

What their eyes were seeing, was nothing like they remembered it. There was nothing. There weren't people, animals, plants, buildings, houses. Absolutely nothing but, teared down buildings and houses, pieces of dead human and animal remains everywhere. It was horrific. 

Lance's heart broke. No, more like it was obliterated. Keith's heart sunk at seeing the horrible scene in front of him. 

"No way... No way. Now way! Now way! I refuse to believe we're on Earth! This can't be! Everything and everyone is gone! GONE!" Lance yelled. Keith's heart broke at hearing Lance's scream in agony. "MY MOM?! MY DAD?! DEAD. MY SIBLINGS?! DEAD. MY FAMILY?! DEAD. MY FRIENDS?! DEAD. EVERYONE IS DEAD." Lance screamed into the empty Earth. 

Lance felt so weak, he fell to the ground. Everything hurt. Tears streamed down his face like tiny rivers. He pulled his hair so hard, it felt like he was going to rip it all off. "Lance, calm-" Lance cut him off. "Calm down. Calm down? Calm down?! CALM DOWN?!?!?! How do you want me to calm down?! I hate everything! This is all my fault! If I had only shut the fuck up, we couldn't been maybe even a day earlier! I hate myself! I hope I get shot! I-" Keith slapped Lance across the face.

"Shut up. Just shut up. This is not your fault. It's none of our faults. Who knows how long the Earth has been destroyed for. We were in space for nearly two years! Throughout all that time, this could've happened! Who knows if it literally happened a day after we left Earth? Don't blame yourself Lance. In a time like this, you don't deserve anything but pure happiness." Keith shouted.

Lance stared at the ground, several tears rolling down his cheeks, splashing onto the ground under him. Keith crouched down next to him. "Lance... I'm so sorry. I really am. I feel so horrible that you had to see something as horrid as this. This isn't what you wanted. I know that. I can't do anything but tell you I'm sorry..." Keith whispered.

Lance covered his mouth, choking back the sobs. He covered his mouth so hard, his fingernails dig into his cheeks. "Lance... please listen... I know you love your mother and your father and your whole family. I know that you'll miss them and your friend but, we have to get out of here. The air here is extremely toxic. If we breathe it any longer, we'll die." Keith said.

"I hope it does. I hope this air burns my lungs completely. I hope it burns it so much that I cough up blood. I hope I have a slow painful death." Lance nearly screamed, tears still dripping down his face. Keith was heartbroken. He didn't want Lance to hate himself because it's true, it's not Lance's fault. Keith wasn't sure what to do at this point. Lance was broken and he wanted to kill himself because he felt guilty. What could Keith do?

"Lance. Please. This isn't your fault. Listen here, I'm sure your mother and father would be very proud of you. You're an amazing space explorer and pilot. You're so smart, funny, and handsome- uh... heh," Keith was beginning to sweat nervously, "I'm sure they wouldn't want to see a soldier who's literally fighting for the lives of trillions and more in the universe, so broken over them. I know you're religious so listen closely... Your parents are in heaven. They're safe now. God is protecting them for you. God is proud of you and so is the rest of your family. I'm not religious but, trust me. God is taking good care of them for you. Your job is here on Earth. It's to protect the rest of the beings out there. Now man up, and let's go kick some alien butt!" Keith said. 

They both stood up. Lance smiled at Keith. Keith smiled back. "You're right," Lance threw himself onto Keith, giving him a huge hug, "God is up there protecting them. Thank you so much! You're the sweetest person ever! Let's go and kill some Galra." Lance said, tears splashing onto Keith's shoulders. 

Keith felt his face warming up. Not only was Lance literally hugging him but, he also just called him, 'the sweetest person ever.' Keith's heart couldn't take this. "No problem Lance." Keith whispered, hugging him tighter. They stood in that position, in silence, for three minutes. Lance could feel himself blushing. He felt his face boiling. But, it felt so nice to hold Keith like this. It felt natural. 

Lance could feel Keith's heartbeat. Keith could feel Lance's. "Let's get going." Keith said, both of them separating from the hug. They both blushed as they walked to the pod. Both thinking about what just happened.

"Lance, what are you doing? Why do you feel like this? What is this? Do you like him? No. You can't. You're not gay. You can't date a guy. Not only that but, he's your rival. That's wrong. It feels wrong." Lance thought. Lance didn't want to admit that he was crushing hardcore for Keith. Not because he was afraid of being rejected, no. More like, felling in love with another man was against his religion. God hates homosexuals. It's a sin. 

But... love is love? He felt very confused. It was pretty obvious that almost everyone on team Voltron was queer in some sort of way, shape, or form. It was extremely obvious when it came to Keith. He was obviously gay. Lance knew that. Did Lance feel hatred towards Keith for being gay? No. Did he feel hatred towards himself for even thinking as something as gross of even being with a man not to mention sleeping with one? Yes. 

Lance was a complex being. He felt different things. He was heartbroken to find out that his friends kicked him out, his family was dead, and that he had nowhere to go. He also felt confused, disgusted, and ashamed. Lance's thoughts clouded his mind even more.

"God loves everyone, right? Would God still love me even if I'm a sinner? A filthy man? I-I don't know." Lance thought. He wanted to ask Keith something. He wanted to ask him how he was okay with being gay, if he was going to hell. Should he? He did anyways. "Hey Keith. I know you've never really opened up to me about your sexuality but, I would like to know, are you gay?" Lance asked.

Lance swallows the lump in his throat, immediately regretting his question. It didn't seem like Keith was bothered though. 

"Yeah, I'm gay. Why?" Keith responded. Lance coughed, clearing his throat. "I... I wanted to ask you how it felt to know that you're gay and that you're seen as a sinner in God's eyes." Lance bit his lip. "Simple. I don't believe in God and even if I did, I wouldn't let religion get in the way of my other opinions." Keith answered. Lance wasn't satisfied. Lance wasn't just going to stop believing in God because Keith said so. And how did you NOT let religion get in the way of his view and whatever? 

"How do you do it?" Lance asked. "If I were you, I'd still love and worship your God but, I wouldn't let him get in the way of expressing myself." Keith replied. Lance nodded. It was simple. 

Every time Lance looked at Keith, his heart raced. He didn't know what to do about it. The only way he's dealt with crushes in the past is by openly flirting with them. But... Keith was different. He couldn't flirt with Keith. Keith's so oblivious, his pickup lines would fly over his head.


	7. Chapter 7

7

The Next Week

Lance and Keith had accomplished nothing. They weren't defending the universe. They weren't even attempting to survive. They hadn't eaten in about a week. They were literally starving. They were both cold and lost. 

"Well buddy... this is the end for us." Keith said. Lance swallowed hard, his eyes tearing up. "Shiro and Allura were right. I'm useless. We're both stuck in the middle of no where and it's all my fault. All I'm good at is ruining people's lives. I hope a blackhole sucks me in and completely obliterates me." Lance whined.

They were both tired and they had absolutely no energy to stand up. 

"Lance... why do you hate... yourself so much...?" Keith asked, breathless. Lance coughed. "I'm a failure. I'm a failure to my team... to my family... to my friends... to God... and worst of all, to you..." Lance said, holding back his tears. Keith stared at Lance. 

"Why would you ever think that? Lance... you're wonderful. All this time that I've known you and all this time that I've spent with you... has been the best time of my life." Keith said. Lance smiled weakly. "I'll make sure both of us get out of here alive. Mark my words." Keith said, smiling warmly. 

That's when they heard a huge explosion outside. "Not now!" Keith groaned. Keith dreaded going outside. He'd gotten so accustom to being inside the spall ship that going outside felt like a million knives stabbing him. Lance though, wanted to go outside so bad. He felt like he was slowly decaying inside the ship. "Maybe we'll find food?" Lance stood up with all the energy he had.

Keith helped Lance walk so they could exit the pod. They saw a small restaurant nearby. They walked towards there. Both boys entered the restaurant.

"Welcome!" A small young alien said to them. She had red hair but, looked very human. Maybe she was a human? No. It couldn't be.

"Hey... there. Do you have water for my friend and I?" Keith asked, gasping for hair. The girl watched them carefully. "Are you two... human?!" The girl's face lit up. "That's right. Please help... us." Lance said. "The name's Fethy, by the way!" Fethy said, pouring two glasses of cold water for them. She handed it over to them and they both drank it in a matter of ten seconds. 

"It's so nice to see humans around. I haven't seen ones in what feels like centuries!" Fethy exclaimed. Lance smiled. "How long have you been out here for?" Lance asked. "Hmm... again... maybe a few thirty centuries...?" She responded. Lance and Keith's eyes stared in disbelief. "How? You're human..." Keith whispered. She heard him loud and clear.

"I'm glad you asked! My biological fathers are both human but, I was found by Galra soldiers and Galras took me in for a few months before an Altean couple found me and too me in instead. They then sent me off into the middle of space to 'protect' me from the Galras who wanted to kill Altean and anything that got in their way of victory. I'm now living on Vehnurex, the planet you guys are on right now." Fethy explained. Keith and Lance were intrigued. She gave them another tal glass of water and set down next to them. 

"That's amazing! So, are you happy here on Vehnurex?" Lance asked. She nodded. "Super happy. The people here treat me better than the Galras. Galras are really abusive people and they'll kill anyone without hesitation. I saw my brother get killed by them." Fethy frowned, nose turning red in trying to hold back her sobs. "I hate them." Fethy added. That made Keith upset. He was tired of hearing everyone generalize Galra into evil killing machines. He took out a cigarette, placing it in his mouth. 

Lance saw Keith's reaction to her comment. "Hey... not all Galras are evil people. Some are really sweet people who would literally protect the universe from their own kind." Lance said. Fethy's eyes widened. "H-How?" She asked. Lance didn't want to make the same mistake that she had made with Rosehfrin by opening his big mouth. "I've worked with some before. Super nice." Lance replied. It didn't seem like Fethy was offended, in face, her eyes sparked with interest.

"Really? They're nice Galras? They're Galras who don't hurt people for their own fun? I've always been taught that all of them are the same. It just comes in their blood but, hearing another human tell me that they're good is extraordinary!" Fethy smiled brightly. Lance nodded his head. "Can you tell me what they were like?" She asked. Lance complied. 

"He's really sweet. Like one of the sweetest people around. He's helped so many people and he's an amazing leader. Have you ever heard of Voltron?" Lance rambled. "Yes I have! I've heard to many tales but, I thought the powerful being Voltron was just a myth!" Fethy shouted with excitement. 

Fethy was most likely around their age. Sixteen maybe? But... for a sixteen year old, she wasn't very mature. She acted more like a little kid. Maybe it's because she's been kept ignorant by the Vax (the Vehnurex). 

"Oh no. Voltron is very real! This Galra boy, he was a Paladin of Voltron." Lance responded. Her eyes lit up even more. "Wow you worked with a Paladin of Voltron? That's amazing!" Fethy squealed. "Actually. Lance and I are both Paladins of Voltron and I'm the Galra boy that he was talking about." Keith said proudly. Lance chuckled. 

Her eyes widened, frown fading. She look at Keith then at the camera above her. She was trying to tell them that they were being recorded. Lance got it but, Keith, a little more slow, didn't. "What?" Keith said. Before anyone could explain anything. Vax soldiers marched in, pointing guns at Lance and Keith.

An aisle opened up in between the Vax soldiers. There was a very small, thin women walking down the aisle. She held a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. One soldier whispered, "It's General Uvixa," then quickly adjusted their posture. Uvixa seemed like a very intimidating women regardless of her size. She looked around Keith's age. Eighteen. And damn, this woman was already leading a whole military. 

She walked up to Keith. Keith sweated nervously, nails biting into his palms. 

"My name is Uvixa but, that's Commander Uvixa to you, little man." Uvixa spat, pointed at Keith's chest her gun. "You're the Galra boy, aren't you," she pulled out a cigarette and placed it into her mouth, lighting it in the process, "I'll have you know a thing or two about us. About us the Vax. First thing, we don't like Galra people like you. It's your kind that killed half of our people. Unforgivable!" She yelled into Keith face, smoke blowing into his face.

Lance and Fethy scrunched up their nose. "Thing two," She lifted two finger up, "we appreciate you brainwashing our people to think that Galras are good and that your little fairytale of Voltron is real." She finished. Keith swallowed, fear contaminating his body.

"Ma'am. Voltron is real." Lance said, trying to defend Keith. She pulled the cigarette out of her mouth, blowing the smoke out. "Haha! Nice joke! If Voltron was real, why didn't Voltron appear when the Galra was killing our whole entire race and taking over our planet? You know who fought for the freedom of the Vax? Soldiers like me and my military. There's no Voltron. And if so, curse Voltron. Fighting that war cost the lives of so many people." Uvixa replied.

Keith choked back everything he wanted to yell into this woman's face. How could she just diss Voltron like that? He couldn't take it anymore. "Listen up here! Voltron protected the lives of several people. We have people liberty! You know what?! The Paladins of Voltron left their home planet, their friends and family to go and protect the universe from all evil! I AM A PALADIN OF VOLTRON AND SO IS LANCE! HOW CAN YOU TELL ME THAT VOLTRON ISN'T REAL." Keith screamed, slapping the gun out of Uvixa's hand. 

Keith swung a punch at her but, Uvixa caught his fist and broke his whole wrist. Keith screamed in pain. "Woah!" A Vax soldier yelled in shock. Uvixa grabbed Keith's hands and tackled his to the floor, placing his hands behind his back and handcuffing him. "You're under arrest." Uvixa yelled. Lance was panicking. 

An even smaller woman walked through the crowd of soldiers, she wasn't part of the military though. She looked more like a secretary or assistant. She looked fifteen. So many teenagers out here risking their lives for the sake of their people and the universe. It was saddening to Lance.

The woman had glasses and she wore a short skirt, a sweater, knee high socks, and flats. She looked almost like Fethy. Fethy attempted to help Keith but, the small girl said, "Feth, stay back! Ma'am is there anything you would like me to assist you with?" The girl asked. Uvixa looked up and said, "Henux, take the two humans with you. This man is a danger to Fethy and the other earthling. He's a danger to everyone." Uvixa shouted. "Follow me." Henux said.

No. Lance refused. Any normal person would've just walked with her and followed as ordered. That wasn't Lance. Lance had always been a rebel. He was not about to let some random person tell him what to do and not do. Lance didn't listen. He knew he could get into big trouble for this but, he genuinely cared about Keith. If anything happened to him, he'd literally go insane. They were team Klance.

All eyes were on Lance and Fethy. Henux signaled for them to go. She grabbed Lance's arm but, he pulled away. "I'm not going anywhere without my best friend." Lance said boldly. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Fethy's eyebrows furrowed. "Fethy, you go. I'm staying here. If this is Keith's fight, it's my fight too." Lance stated. He kept a straight face the whole time. "Lance- don't." Keith said, wanting to face palm. Lance didn't care if Keith thought he was an idiot. He didn't care what anyone thought of him. He wanted to protect Keith. 

It only felt right. It was like, not only did his brain tell him to do so but, his heart was aching for Keith. Like a piece of Lance was missing and Keith was the puzzle piece that would fit right in with Lance. Lance knew what he had to do. He smirked. He looked around him, analyzing everything and everyone so he could make his move. 

Everyone was staring at him. He needed a distraction. "Fethy! I heard that you have more Galra's hidden in your home." Lance yelled. Fethy's face turned bright red. Sure, it was a selfish move of Lance to pick but, he'd do anything right now to make sure Keith was alive and okay. The soldiers turned to Henux and Fethy, aiming their weapons to her. "Don't fire." Uvixa ordered. This was his time. This was the moment. 

Lance quickly ran to Keith, taking the sword from Uvixa's pocket and cutting the cuffs open. It worked! The sword was really that powerful. "Lance- what are you-" Keith asked. Lance shushed him. He grabbed Keith's hand and tried to look for an exit. He ran through the soldiers and thinking that he and Keith were fine, Henux stopped them. 

"Henux, move." Lance ordered. She didn't move, instead, she pulled out two pistols and aimed it at Keith and Lance. "Even if you two are human like me, I'm not letting you leave. Not all humans are as unloyal as you two. I love Uvixa and I wouldn't ever double cross her." Henux said coldly.

Keith slapped the guns out of her hand. "Let's- oof!" Keith was punched in the stomach by Henux. "Don't underestimate us just because we are women. We'll easily beat your ass. Surrender or die." She ordered. Lance punched her back, glasses smashing against the wall. That's when a soldier ran up behind Lance and placed a knife at Lance's throat. "Fire at him!" The soldier ordered. All the soldiers began firing at Lance. Keith was restrained by Henux. "Please let go! I can't let him die! I love him too much for that!" Keith screamed in agony, tears forming in his eyes. 

Fethy shot Henux's head from the back. "I'm sorry sister." She mumbled, watching Henux fall to the ground and bleed out. Keith was let loose. He stared at the horror but, weakly smiled at Fethy. Without thinking anymore, he ran in front of Lance to shield him from the bullets, Keith's back taking all the bullets. 

The soldier who was holding Lance, stepped back. 

Lance's eyes widened so big, it looked like they would pop out of his eyes. "No... Keith... No! Why?!" Lance yelled, as Keith fell to the ground. "It's because... I love you Lance. I'm sorry that I didn't start smoking for you. I promised to myself that I would. For you... but... I'm one stupid liar." Keith said, smiling at Lance. Tears ran down Lance's face. 

"You what me?" Lance asked. With the last strength in Keith's body, Keith grabbed Lance's face and pulled him in for a kiss. It was a soft, tender kiss. Nothing sexual. Keith pulled back. "I love you." Keith whispered for the last time. Lance felt Keith's heartbeat completely stop. "I... love you too..." Lance whispered back. 

-

Lance had explained to his kids who Keith was. "Wow! He sounds amazing! It's so sad that he couldn't be our father. But, I love mom just as equally." Jessica, the oldest of Lance's siblings said. Lance smiled. Starring at a picture of team Voltron that he had around his neck. He always kept them close to their heart. 

Who knew if they were even alive? All he knew is that they would all reunite, in the after life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the whole story without getting confused or bored, thank you! Again, it’s my first fanfic and I have never written anything except for an essay. Constructive criticism is welcome!


End file.
